Jon Koppenhaver Now Faces 32 Charges And Life In Prison

Jon Koppenhaver, also known as War Machine, made his first appearance in a Las Vegas courtroom today. Koppenhaver, who was originally charged with nine felonies for the brutal beating of his ex girlfriend Christy Mack, now faces 32 counts against him ranging from attempted murder, sexual assault, battery, coercion, preventing or dissuading a witness or victim from reporting a crime, and first-degree kidnapping resulting in substantial bodily harm. Koppenhaver plead not guilty to all counts, and is expected to return to court October 17. Koppenhaver’s charges could earn him a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

Christy Mack, who is widely known as an adult film star, posted a horrific story about the incident where she was assaulted by Koppenhaver for an extended period of time. Her story alleges that she only escaped with her life because Koppenhaver had left the room to go get a sharper knife to cut her with, and she was able to sneak out the backdoor and alert her neighbors. Koppenhaver eluded the police for a week before he was arrested at a motel outside of Simi Valley, California, and has since been extradited to Las Vegas to face the charges.

Koppenhaver gained fame as a mixed martial artist and appeared on the sixth season of the UFC’s television show The Ultimate Fighter. The UFC cut him after after two fights for making disparaging comments about the death of former middleweight champion Evan Tanner. After doing two stints in jail on assault charges, Koppenhaver was picked up Bellator and fought three times for them in 2013. He was immediately terminated by the promotion when the promotion was made aware of the charges levied against him, and that he was wanted by the US Marshals.